Specialist Insurance for Tree Surgeons, Landscapers and Forestry

As a direct result of increased demand across the North, H&H Insurance Brokers branches out and grows its services to offer niche support for the forestry, arboriculture and associated suppliers. 

With the North of England being an area with lots of trees and forestry, our team has seen the need to develop specific insurance options for Tree Surgeons, Arborists, Landscapers Forestry Contractors, and Groundworkers. Being such a high-risk industry, it is absolutely vital to ensure that the correct cover is in place.

Working with the arboriculture and horticulture sectors, Natalie Carr, Account Executive at H&H Insurance Brokers, highlights the key areas to look out for when seeking liability cover, and how to ensure the right indemnity is in place for employers, the public and contractors.

Having been at the forefront of establishing these new policies on behalf of HHIB, as well as being married to a tree surgeon herself, the expertise Natalie brings is from both professional and personal experience.

Natalie is based out of Cumbria and is very familiar with the specialist needs that this sector demands from its insurance cover:

“With tree surgery, the most important thing to address and cover in a policy is the height. Most of the policies will restrict on height, and this is something that we’ve been working to help with. Sometimes people don’t realise how big a tree is, and if it is over the maximum permitted height they would then be liable. As long as clients are compliant to all the other insurance requirements, have all the necessary legislative training and all the National Proficiency Test Council Certificates or the equivalent, we do not put a height restriction on the policy.” A copy of these documents is required by the insurer.

It is also important to have the correct cover for other risks such as hiring tools, storing forestry equipment, using machinery (whether hired, leased, or owned items), theft or damage. In addition, understanding the requirements of this cover is key, for example if your tools or equipment are not correctly stored as per the policy, this may result in the insurer refusing to pay a claim.

“Insurance protection for the arboriculture, landscaping and forestry trade should also include employers, workers, public liability, and professional indemnity. This is cover for someone who, for example, advises on forestry plantations and wants to protect themselves on any claim that may come back.”

Natalie explains further: “In this sector, many face dangers of working at height, with power tools, but I must stress trees which are near overhead electricity lines should not be worked on, instead the local electricity provider such as ENWL should be contacted as they have a specialist team to deal with this, likewise work near railway lines. So, with this heavy liability, safety cover at the right level of insurance is paramount.”

There are incidents where operatives have inadvertently suffered injury from a cut tree or branch within the ‘drop zone’. H&H are advising to be safe by sticking to the two-tree rule when calculating the exclusion zone, because the risks at ground level should never be underestimated, including risk to persons and property.

“No one wants property damage from contractors who don’t have the correct insurance in place. As we head towards autumn, I would suggest to anyone thinking about smarting up their garden, always check to make sure whoever you employ to do the work has the appropriate cover. You don’t want them going up a tree, a branch falling on your house then to find out they’re not covered.

“I think it’s a good opportunity for us to bring our significant experience to a sector with diverse needs, as these specialisms dovetail with our other products offered through H&H Safety, as legislation is constantly changing in this line of business and H&H Asset Finance.”  For more information contact Natalie either on her mobile 07595 067858 or email her direct.

These services from H&H Insurance Brokers are helping to support clients, with an expansive portfolio of ‘one-stop-shop’ packages for a range of rural industries that can be tailored to specific requirements, and delivered flexibly by a specialist team.